Love
by Frostwhisker
Summary: If you could know when you would meet your soul mate… would you want to? Human AU, Spamano.
1. Chapter 1

_**WARNINGS/DISCLAMER: Lovino's mouth, some unanswered questions, and me attempting a fic based off a tumblr post. Boy love is inevitable, so don't like don't read. Hetalia doesn't belong to me but, oh, sometimes I really really really wish it did. Rated T for Lovino. **_

_**Read the A/N at the bottom.**_

_**Beta work done by SimplySalted**_

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><p><em>If you could know when you would meet your soul mate… would you want to?<em>

-x-

_Tick... Tick... Tick..._

The numbers slowly flashed by with each passing second, counting dutifully down as they had done for the past three years of his life.

Lovino just wished they would hurry the fuck up and reach zero already.

On the day of his fifteenth birthday, the timer had appeared faithfully, as it did for every person on their own, appeared on his wrist. The day it disappeared would be the destined day he would meet the person meant to be his soul mate.

When it first appeared, Lovino had been absolutely ecstatic. He had heard rumors, horror stories of the 'soul counter' never appearing. These people were always avoided, outcasted from society.

He was already an outcast of enough, shunned by his fellow peers in favor of his younger brother.

Lovino's foul mouth had always made people shy away from him, send glares at his turned back, pretending that he didn't exist as they fawned over Feli.

His own family was guilty of this as well. At reunions and other events where all of their relatives were gathered, he was avoided like a plague. He could hear them talking about him, however, when they thought he was out of earshot. "He is such a vulgar child. Someone needs to teach him to be more like his younger brother..."

Lovino pretended like it never bothered him. But each word was like a knife to his heart, invisible to the eye, but never the less painful. He endured it though, and on his fifteenth birthday, he felt his first flicker of hope in years.

Because, by the counter appearing on his wrist, Lovino's fate had been sealed permanently with the definite promise that somewhere, someone out there was destined to love him and _only_him.

Three years later, as he now sat in his college dorm room. Lovino sent death glares to the neon green numbers slightly glowing on his skin. Three (long fucking) years, as they had proclaimed on the morning of his fifteenth birthday, had finally passed. Now there was only two days left until the cursed numbers left him forever.

_It's about damned time_, he thought, glowering at them.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Lovino rolled off his bed to start getting ready for classes. Standing in front of his mirror, the Italian ran his fingers quickly through dark brown hair in an attempt to make it look decent. Examining his appearance with scrutinizing hazel eyes, he deemed himself ready to face the world.

Lovino had always prided himself in living up to his Italian heritage. Italy was the country of love and fashion and he'd be _damned_if he didn't show it.

And so, grabbing his shoulder bag, Lovino left his room.

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><p>'<em>Shit. I left later than I originally thought…<em> Running across the campus, Lovino had to dodge a large crowd that had congregated in the middle of his path. Swearing under his breath and scowling fiercely, the Italian pushed people out of his way. Some of them were unfortunate enough to be forced aside chose to yell, but he answered them with a scowl.

As he reached the end of the mob, he let out of sigh of relief…that quickly morphed into sudden panic as someone collided into him and forced him down onto the ground.

The stranger let out a loud, gusting breath and a sound that could only be described as "Oof!" as Lovino ended up crushing his chest. Seething with anger, Lovino shot a livid glare to the person who was about to start wishing he hadn't gotten in his way. The sound of irritation that accompanied this glare, however, quickly morphed into a sharp intake of breath as he suddenly was met with a bright, emerald gaze.

"Ah! _Lo siento mi amigo_! I didn't see you there!" Sputtering incoherently, suddenly unable to form anything close to a real word, Lovino could only blush furiously as he pulled himself back up into a standing position.

The other laughed joyfully as he pulled himself up, cheerfully brushing the dust that clung to his clothing off. Lovino could only stare at the other, taking in his appearance.

He was obviously a foreigner; his Mediterranean kissed skin, noticeable Spanish accent and use of the language being the dead giveaways. His hair was an unruly mop of dark brown curls that bounced cheerfully around his face as he wiped the dirt off his red soccer jersey.

And then, suddenly, those (beautif- no, shit he did not just think that!) green eyes were back on Lovino. He found it impossible to break the gaze that he was now locked in. It was shattered, however, when the Spaniard poked him on his (unusually bright red) cheek.

"Aha! You look just like a _tomate_!" The blush only grew fiercer at the contact. Enraged, Lovino gripped the offending finger that was touching him with his hand, yanking it away from his face. His heart jumped in a weird, fluttering way as a spark ran from where his skin connected with the Spaniard to his wrist, but he was too angry to think further about it.

"B-bastard!" he stammered, tossing the other's hand away. "Watch where you're walking, you idiot!" The stranger laughed again, rubbing the back of his neck slightly in guilt.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! It's just it's so crowded here and I didn't see you coming and-Wow why are all these people here in the first place? Do you know? I mean I've never seen so many-" Lovino blinked as the stranger (who he had dubbed idiotic bastard in his brain) started to ramble. Throwing his hand up in a motion of silence, he cut the other off.

"That's nice and all, _bastardo_, but I'm late for class and you're in my way. So move it!" Lovino shoved past the other, who simply called a "See you around, amigo!" to Lovino's retreating back. A flip of the middle finger in response was met with another joyful laugh that made Lovino's stomach twist in a way he had never felt before.

It wasn't until he had arrived in his class (thankfully not late) that he noticed something was off.

It was gone. For as long as he could seemingly remember, the noise was always there in the back of his head. At first, it had been the most annoying thing in the world. He could never stand the clicking noise that seemed to ring in his ears. It had been there ever since, signaling the countdown of time.

And now… it was strangely quiet. _Shit._ That could only mean one thing.

Letting out a shaky breath, Lovino pulled his sleeve back to reveal what he knew had happened.

The counter was gone and, in its place, a half red, half green heart shone proudly. Romano's own heart skipped a beat. He let out a hiss of annoyance, ignored the glares from his classmates, and let his head meet the table in front of him.

He had met his soul mate, two days fucking early. And he had no idea who the _hell_ it was or where to even begin to look to find them. _Fucking hell._

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><p><em>Why is it that, when I write multi!shot stories, I'm really mean to Lovino?<br>Oops.  
>Any unanswered questions or confusions should be cleared up in the remaining chapters; specifically, why Lovino's counter stopped two days early :3. Yes, there is an explanation for that. <em>

_Well. If you guys are waiting for Unspoken Sentiments: It's not discontinued. I hit writers block with the ending of the next chapter, but it should be out sometime over my Christmas break. Sorry sorry. ;_;._

_As mentioned: this is based off a post I saw on Tumblr. It basically asked the question that is the summary and at the beginning of the story and I went with it. :D. This also fills my 30 theme challenge for Love, hence the title.  
>Going to try and update again next week. This will be a three-shot at the maximum.<em>

_So: Please, **read and review**. I practically live on reviews. They make me write :D _


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello there! Read the A/N at the bottom please!_

_Warnings for this chapter: Lovino, slightly hinted GerIta and SwissBel(gium) but if you blink, you could possibly miss it._  
><em>Disclaimer: Dammit people, this website is FANFICTION. So it's not mine. Hetalia is owned by the cutest man alive ; A ; <em>

_Beta work done by **SimplySalted** and **ItalianPotato444**._

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><p>He decided to skip his class that day, ignoring his teacher's call of "Go sit back down! What do you mean you're <em>leaving<em>? I'm teaching here! DON'T IGNORE ME YOUNG MA-" Honestly, he could have cared less about what the lecture on World History would have been.

His life had just been fucked up and turned upside-down and he had no clue how the _hell_he could go about fixing it.

Walking back down the same path he had taken earlier to class, he couldn't help but stare at the newest marking that was now etched on his skin. It was, in a way, mesmerizing. The left half of the quarter-sized heart was a cheerfully bright green, wonderfully contrasting with the ruby red other half.

He vaguely recalled his brother's heart, which had appeared almost one day after the counter had appeared for him. The lucky bastard had met his soul mate quickly, while Lovino had been forced to wait.

And it had been the damned potato bastard.

Feliciano's tattoo had been fairly plain, yet people loved to gawk at it. What was so special about a simple black and white heart, adorned with a small dark star on the night-colored half? The stupid bastard he was fated to be with had the same damned design, yet no one cared about it. Just _perfect_little Feliciano's...

Lovino broke his train of thoughts as they started to stray into what he now called the unmentionables. He would not think about his stupid little brother or the person he was now forever connected with. Lovino had his own damn problems to think about, like...

Who the _hell_was the person who wore the same marking as him? When he reached the spot where the gathering had once been (the crew taking down the stage informed him someone had been giving a speech earlier), he froze in his tracks. This had been the only place he had actually been with other people.

And half the school had congregated there.

_Shit_. Lovino pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Life seemed to absolutely despise his existence today.

After skipping his second class, Lovino continued to look around the campus. His search consisted of interviewing everyone he ran into, asking if they were in that crowd earlier. When someone confirmed that yes, they were, he would ask to see their wrist.

And after asking over what felt like two hundred people (really, it had to have been only twenty, but it _felt_like so much more…) his search ended with him being no closer to an answer than when he started.

Frustrated and close to pulling out his hair, Lovino continued his pursuit for an answer.

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><p>The small coffee shop was practically a hidden gem on the campus, a place that Lovino absolutely loved to visit… and where he loved to go when he simply just needed a place to think. Today, however, he decided to visit the coffee shop to share his troubles with the girl who had quickly become one of his best friends around.<p>

"It'll be okay Lovino! You'll find them soon~" Emma continually said that, but Lovino still insisted on smacking his head against the table.

"You say that, but how the hell do you know? You already have your match and you _know_who he is!" Lovino placed his head in his hands and sighed out, ceasing the head-smashing, "I don't even know if they're a girl or a guy..."

The blond girl clicked her teeth as she placed a cup on the table. "Here. Some hot chocolate to cheer you up…?" Lovino, peeking out through faintly spread fingers, stared at the paper cup placed in front of him with a small grimace etched on his face. That's when he noticed the heart, a camouflaged mixture of greens, happily adorning her wrist.

He let out a frustrated sigh, and when his forehead met the table again out of further exasperation, a forceful hand on the back of his head prevented him from lifting it back up. "Em'a, I cn't brte," he mumbled out, trying to fight back against the pressure she was instantly pushing onto the back of his skull. However, she held on firm.

"Lovino. I'll let your head up if you if promise me you'll stop doing this to yourself…" A heartfelt growl was the reply. "...Do I need to go get Vash to convince you…?" Instantly, the image of the blond man, irritable and _holding a rifle_, appeared in his Lovino's mind.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose and exhaling loudly, Lovino murmured "F'ne, prmise." The burden holding him down was lifted and he pulled back, casting a scowl at the still smiling blonde as he rubbed his sore neck. "You're a bitch sometimes, y'know that?"

"That's not nice, Lovino!" She still laughed though as she pushed the hot chocolate towards him again. "Now here. Drink this. It'll make you feel better." He grabbed the cup and took a sip, smiling slightly at the faint hint of peppermint spicing it.

"Thanks Emma…" She beamed and ruffled his hair, triggering a small blush across his cheeks. He lightly smacked her hand away from his head. "It's just... I've been looking for them since yesterday, and I haven't had any sort of luck."

Patting Lovino's back sympathetically, Emma grinned again and said "I told you! You'll find them! You two are destined to be together, so you _will_ be, okay?" With a wink and another habitual ruffle of the hair, she left to go behind the counter to serve the newest customer to walk into the shop.

Lazily resting his head on folded arms, Lovino pouted as he watched the steam rise out of the cup. He really didn't know what to think. What Emma had said was true… If Lovino was meant to be with this person (which he _obviously_ was...), he'd find them eventually….right?

The Italian was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice when the door to the shop opened up again and a familiar face entered. What did catch his attention, though, was the bright "Hola~!" that rang out in the quiet room. Looking up, Lovino groaned inwardly as he recognized the person. Slinking down further into his arms, he hid his face so that they wouldn't see him. It seemed to work, because he went unnoticed as the person walked towards the counter to a now excited Emma.

"Antonio!" She exclaimed, clapped her hands together happily. "I didn't know you were here already! I thought you were going to arrive tomorrow!" Lovino watched from the corner of his eye as (he guessed his name was Antonio) laughed and leaned against the counter.

"My plane arrived yesterday, so I decided to come by campus to see you! But I couldn't find this place and got lost…" He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was going to ask for directions but…"

"But?"

Letting out a small laugh, Antonio, his voice seemingly ready to burst from excitement, exclaimed "I got distracted by this!" He thrusted something into Emma's face, but from the angle of where he was sitting, Lovino couldn't see what. What he could see, however, was how Emma's face morphed from joyful, to extremely confused, to thrilled.

And then her sharp green gaze broke from what she was staring at and met Lovino's. Returning her now devilish gaze, the only thing Lovino could think of was '_Shit. I don't like where this is heading…'_

"Antonio~!" There was a small hint of amusement and an undertone that seemed to say 'I know something you don't know' and fuck Lovino _still_ didn't like the path this seemed to be whirling in. "There's someone I want you to meet!"

Quickly, Emma was back on the other side of the counter and dragging Antonio over to where the Lovino was still sitting. The Italian could only watch in slight horror as the idiot she was dragging along behind her saw him. Those green eyes suddenly lit up with recognition as they met Lovino's hazel ones.

"Ah! I remember you!" Antonio seemed to be oblivious to the glares of pure disdain Lovino was shooting at him. "I ran into you yesterday in that huge crowd!"

"I wish I didn't remember _you_," Lovino grumbled, trying to bury his face into his arms. He could feel the blush that seemed to spring onto his cheeks without his consent the second the other had started to talk to him and _dammit_ why wouldn't his heart stop fluttering?

"Lovino, this is my cousin Antonio! Say hi~!" Emma seemed to almost bouncing up and down in barely contained glee. Lovino responded to her enthusiasm by burying his head deeper into his arms. "Aww come on Lovino!" He knew he shouldn't have looked up the instant he heard her voice. He found it _impossible_ to ignore her when she was pouting like that.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, he mumbled to her "We've already met…". Lovino then took a quick glance to the Spaniard, and instantly averted his gaze when his look was returned by curious, yet highly amused, smile.

"Sí, he's right Emma!" Lovino couldn't help but stare as the Spaniard rocking back and forth on his heels, a wide grin stretched over his face. '_He's like a fucking little kid'. _He then turned to look at Lovino, grinning. "Oh, but you didn't introduce yourself...! I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!" Then, he extended his hand to shake.

Lovino stared at the hand presented to him for a few seconds before Emma (not so subtly) gave him a kick in the shin. Hissing in pain, he shot her an angry glare before sighing in defeat. "I'm Lovino Vargas." Unwillingly, he took the hand in front of him… only to be surprised by the same spark he'd felt yesterday snaking its way to his wrist. His eyes darted down to where the sensation lead…

That's when he saw it.

On the other's wrist sat the precise design that his own wrist held. He stared at it, gaping slightly, and then turned to meet Emma's gaze. The knowing look in her eyes said everything he needed to see to understand.

Absolutely disturbed at the implications of what this meant, and too alarmed to coherently form words, Lovino ripped his hand away from Antonio's own, knocking the half-filled cup of hot-chocolate all over the table in the process. He couldn't even bring himself to acknowledge the other two people surrounding the table and their surprise. Lovino grabbed his bag and did the only thing he could think to do in his panicking state of mind:

He ran.

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><p><em>He panicked and did the only thing he could think to do XD<em>

_**Notes on Emma;** I think she could very well have handled Lovino and his attitude, and convinced him by herself to stop acting that way. She's a strong minded, independent woman who doesn't need to rely on Vash. **But**: she knows Lovino is terrified of him, so she used that to her advantage :3_

_This would have been out a lot sooner, but my poor beta got sick ; A ;! Apologies. _

_If you're confused, leave it in a review or PM me please!_

_Follow/talk to me on Tumblr you guys! URL is the same as my pen name :'D_

**_Reviews make me write, so leave one please! Thanks guys!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello there! Please read the A/N at the bottom! _

_Warnings for this chapter: Lovino's language, maybe slight OOC (I'm not out of sure?)  
>Disclaimer: I still don't own Hetalia. The man who does has been missing for months ;n;<em>

_Beta thanks to **SimplySalted**; special shout out to** Lexi (skyebyrd)** for being so awesome and giving me motivation to finish this!_

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><p>Lovino fiddled with the cup in his hand nervously, sloshing the un-drunk liquid back and forth with each movement, his thoughts running wild due to anticipation. He tapped his leg anxiously against the ground, repressing the urge to run that rose in his chest as time passed at an impossibly slow rate. He knew he was getting stared at by the waitress, he could feel her gaze watching him apprehensively, as if afraid he would do something to her if she took her eyes off of him. But honestly, a menial waitress was the last thing on his mind.<p>

Two days ago, he had met Antonio; he had met the person that was destined to be with him forever. He had met his match, the one who carried the same heart-shaped tattoo that had been taunting him. So what did he do the moment he realized this? He had freaked out and fled. _And he couldn't think of the reason why. _What he had been waiting for ever since that damned timer had appeared on his wrist had finally shown up, and he had panicked.

His dream had finally come true and he couldn't even have a _normal_ reaction. Instead of accepting it, he turned heels and fled like a wimp.

He ended up hiding in his dorm room for two days, only daring to leave when he knew that there was no way anyone would be able to catch him. He also ignored Emma's desperate attempts at calling him, and endless streams of text messages that flooded his phone every hour, on the hour because of this new-found phobia. A few times, he almost answered, ready to hear the Belgian scold him fiercely, and tell him how silly he was being. But he never did. He was too afraid to hear anything she would say about Antonio. Since he'd had to have known by then, Emma wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret.

So he never answered a single call. He only sent her a text to let her know that yes, he was still alive after she sent a panicking message thinking that, somehow, he had been hurt in some way. He was content to simply stare at his phone every time it lit up when she called.

Then, suddenly, she stopped calling. At first, Lovino was surprised when the hourly phone call didn't come through, but simply brushed it off, assuming she was busy. But three hours passed with no phone call. Just when he was about to suck it up and call her himself, his worry for her sudden bout of silence outweighing his determination to avoid her scolding, his unusually quiet phone rang.

The number was unknown. And, with his heart practically beating out of his chest, he answered.

He should have known that it wouldn't have been Emma on the other end, but felt a coil of dread fill his stomach as the voice that replied to his quiet greeting certainly wasn't hers. His heart was stuck in his throat as he heard Antonio's voice on the other end, begging him to not hang up and listen to him.

A very one-sided conversation occurred, with Antonio hardly letting Lovino get a chance to speak through his rapid-fire speech of how, if Lovino would let him, he'd like to simply meet and talk about what happened.

And now, one day later, he was sitting in a small restaurant just inside the town by his college, fighting the urge to forget what he had promised on the phone and simply flee and hide again. He was a coward, he knew this. Always choosing to run and hide instead of facing a problem head on was his specialty. This time, however, he knew he had to stay here and face his fears.

Lovino couldn't reign in his racing thoughts to produce a coherent message as he waited, having arrived too early in his anxiety. There was no way Antonio didn't think he was the strangest person on the planet. The first time they had met, he had been nothing but cruel and cold to the other. It hadn't been the most flattering first impression one could leave on the person who they were destined to spend the rest of their life together with, and their second meeting hadn't gone any better.

He could still see the absolutely stunned expression, filled with confusion and surprise, that he had managed to catch a glimpse of before he fled from the shop. It had haunted his mind and dreams for days.

Now that they were meeting for the third time, he had no idea how to act. And when he looked up from his untouched coffee as the door to the restaurant opened, and he watched the other while locking gazes with him, he knew that he'd have to figure it out soon.

Antonio seemed nervous: his eyes flickered back and forth as he walked towards the table where Lovino sat, uneasiness filling his eyes. His fingers were twitching by his side, as if he was ready to grab the Italian if he would try and flee again. A pang made itself known in Lovino's chest as he realized that Antonio was acting this way because of how he had reacted at the coffee shop. Clearing away the thick feeling that had built in his throat, Lovino let out a small "Hello…" as he sat down across from him.

A fragment of relief seemed to flash in Antonio's eyes when he spoke, and a little smile danced across his lips for a brief moment. The waitress shuffled over quickly and took his drink order, also giving Lovino a side-eyed glace as she turned away, but that was quickly forgotten about when Antonio spoke.

"Hi Lovino! I'm glad you agreed to meet me here today, because Emma told me that she's been trying to get ahold of you for days, but you weren't answering your phone and we thought it was because you didn't want to see me or hated me or something, and I'm just really glad you answered the phone when I called-"

Lovino couldn't help but gawk at the other as he rambled off, a light tremor in his voice revealing just how nervous he was. Holding his hand up, he cut off the brunette before he ran out of breath. Antonio snapped his mouth shut, lips quivering as he fought the temptation to say more of his long-winded speech, but seemed to be content to wait for Lovino to speak.

"Fuck, you talk a lot." Shit. That's not what he what he wanted to say. He felt his cheeks flush a deep red as Antonio simply laughed at his outburst. Feeling a little more confident that he hadn't scared him off quite yet, he continued. "I just didn't know what to think, so I didn't answer the damned phone. I wanted to be able to think properly. And…" he cut off, and turned away, too afraid to look at Antonio, or admit what he had been feeling.

"And…?" He snuck a glance over at Antonio, his heart nearly stopping at the other's expression. For the first time since he'd had first met the other, his face was twisted into what Lovino realized was a serious expression. Usually, a smile of sorts, or a blank, yet subtly happy, expression had graced his features. Suddenly, Lovino found it hard to confront Antonio's intense green stare. His voice died in his throat, and all he managed was a choked squawk.

Abruptly, a heavy silence was thrown over the two, the noises of the restaurant the only thing daring enough to break it. Lovino refused to look up, too afraid to see that expression on the other's face again. He couldn't even remember what he wanted to say anymore, since seeing an unfamiliar side of Antonio scared away any shred of confidence he'd managed to scrape together for this meeting. (Without Antonio's knowing, it had taken at least twenty minutes of a pep talk in front of his mirror before he'd even left the dorm rooms to gather it all. Nor did he know that he attempted to mentally steel himself on the walk over.)

Antonio, after waiting intently for Lovino to finish his statement, eventually realized that he might never do it without being pushed a bit. He cleared his throat, causing Lovino to jolt at the sudden noise and finally drag his hazel gaze up from the ground to stare once more at the Spaniard across from him.

"You know...," Antonio's tone was causal, as if he simply was talking about the weather, "I don't know why you ran away at the coffee shop. At first, I thought it was because you hated me," Lovino made a noise of protest, but didn't get the chance to cut in as Antonio continued to speak. "That didn't make much sense to me, though. I mean, we'd just met, and we know nothing about each other, so how could you hate me?"

Lovino couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped at that (too many people could attest to his feelings of disdain towards them), and after seeing the less than understanding look that graced Antonio's face, the laughter that he'd been trying to contain bubbled forward against his will.

After a few moments, he managed to calm himself, stifled laughter still trickling out alongside his uneven breathing. Finally turning his attention back to Antonio, he felt his heart skip a beat; Antonio was staring at him, mouth slightly agape, and cheeks flushed a deep shade of scarlet (Lovino couldn't help but chuckle a little on the inside when he realized that it was almost the same shade as red of the jersey he wore). He let out a slightly annoyed noise, simply to snap the daze the other had fallen into, then sighed.

"I don't even know why I fucking ran... I just..." He threaded his fingers through his hair in frustration before continuing, his voice filling with frustration and rising in volume as he spoke. "This whole entire system is _bullshit_, you know? Most of our lives are spent not knowing who the hell we're going to be with. For the first few years of our lives, we have to live in fear, not knowing if our timers will even appear. And then, if it does and gives us a time, we have to watch everyone else around us meet the people who they're supposed to love and spend the rest of their lives together with while waiting for our own damned timer to reach the end of its countdown." He was ranting now, but Antonio made no attempt to stop him, and instead listened intently.

"If you're unlucky, you have to wait a long ass fucking time to meet your match. And..." his voice lost its fierce tone, morphing into what could barely be considered a whisper. "And you have no idea if they'll even _like_you. I mean, sometimes, the two are complete strangers. I know people say its fate and shit, and that they're destined to but... Who says it always will be that way?" His gaze went down once more to his hands as he finished, too scared to meet the inquisitive eyes he could feel positively burning into his skin.

After a short moment of silence, (in which the server finally brought Antonio his order, casting another glare in Lovino's direction), Antonio finally spoke. "Huh. I've... never thought of that." His voice was quiet, thoughtful. Suddenly, he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. "I got it!"

Lovino, startled, jumped in his seat and looked up at Antonio, who was grinning happily, as if he just thought the best thing in the world. "What?"

Antonio was positively beaming, his teeth shining brightly as he triumphantly exclaimed "We'll do this differently!" When Lovino just stared at him, failing to see where he was going with this idea, he went on. "Well, usually people just throw themselves into a relationship once their heart appears, and worry about getting to actually know the person -if they're strangers, that is, because sometimes they've been friends for a long time- later, right?" An affirmative nod. "We won't do that!"

"...then what would we do?"

The grin softened into a small, yet sincere quirk of the lips. "We'll start as just being friends, and getting to know each other, and pretend as though the hearts aren't even there. And, when..." His voice trailed off and Lovino could almost hear the unspoken 'if' hovering like a dark cloud. "When we're both ready, we'll take it up a step!"

Lovino mulled it over in his head, humming thoughtfully. His critical mind caught him by surprise, deciding it was a good idea on this rare occasion. Antonio had seemingly been able to address all his fears and, while the possibility that they'd be the ones to break the norm, and never be able to move forward (the flutter in his chest told him he was being ridiculous, but it didn't ease his fears any), the idea seemed suitable.

"Well~?" Antonio's voice drew him from his thoughts. The other had his hand outstretched, to shake hands on the deal. When Lovino's eyes saw the heart that adorned the Spaniard's wrist, he swallowed down all the insecurities that tried to escape.

Taking a deep breath, he took the other's hand in his own, relishing in the tingling sparks that raced up his arms at the contact, and the feeling that everything would work out swelled up in his chest. His lips curved into a smile as he murmured, "Deal."

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><p><em>HOLY CRAP I FINISHED IT<em>

_I've actually, guiltily, have had most of this written since February, but life got in the way and I couldn't sit down to type and work on it. The ending took forever!_

_Notes; Well, I'd like to think in this universe here, that most people get so happy when their hearts appear, they just blindly jump into the relationship and fall into love. Lovino feared that it wouldn't work that way for him, and the love between the two would be forced. Silly Lovino._

_You all are too kind. Thanks for all your reviews! They really mean a lot to me! _

_Last note; interested in a year later epilogue? Let me know in a review (and please give me feedback as well, not just a request for more. I really want to know how I did!). If I get enough interest, I'll write one more chapter for these two in this verse! Also, I'll probably...never write another pairing fic for this verse, and if you're interested in doing so, **send me a PM**, and I'll totally tell you more about it (and what pairings already exist for this, as they can't be broken ;w;)_

_Reviews are loved, and thank you for reading! Until next time!_

_~Frost_


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